The Onikami Files
by Innortal
Summary: A new start, a new hope, and a new awakening of a race thought nearly dead.
1. Waking the True Soul

**The Onikami Files**

**Chapter 1**

**Waking the True Soul**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

A Ranma/3x3 Eyes Fusion

* * *

Ranma was fast reaching the end of his journey. What is this journey, you ask? Is it to find some weird prince that has kidnapped Akane ... yet again? Is it some insane martial arts challenge in a style that no one would ever consider as practical to begin with? Was it a challenge from yet another family Genma Saotome screwed over/pissed off/promised Ranma to as either a fiancé or fiancée?

Nope, this was a personal challenge of Ranma's. He was going to get cured.

So far, the news had been pretty dim. The Jusenkyo Guide had informed him via mail that the Springs would still be flooded for a bit longer than they had thought, which meant an even longer wait until the Springs were back to how they had been pre-Jusendo. And that didn't even include the testing of the Springs to ensure what Spring was what, or if they even still retained their magic.

So, he set off for a local cure, hoping that since a Japanese spring of Nannichuan had once existed, then perhaps some cures for Jusenkyo might also exist in Japan. After all, most if not all of the 'potential'—and that potential didn't even equate to an infinitesimal chance—cures had come from China. So there had to be a cure in Japan that was from Japan, right?

He tried shrines, earning him disappointment, attacks in the cases of those that Genma had either taken him to or visited himself before the training journey, more fiancées in the same instances, or a Shinto ward slapped on his forehead.

He tried temples. But he got pretty much the same results as he had gotten from the shrines. He had half expected to find out that the 'Ah! My Goddess' series was real, and be attacked or glomped by them.

So now, he was trying his last chance, a last ditch chance before he had to either return to the Tendo Dojo, or try and figure out how to use those library buildings to find something.

He was at a traveling fair that had a 'great, ancient, and wise mystic.'

"Man," he grumbled, looking at the poster, and counting the yen he had available. "He better be good, this'll take all I got left. Hmm, might have to walk down some dark alleys to get people to jump me again. They're usually good for a few thousand yen..." he muttered, remembering how nice it was to rob a thief.

So, after paying the entrance fee to the fair, Ranma headed off to find the wise mystic, who was his perhaps last chance to find a cure.

"Hello," he called, entering the guy's tent. "Anyone here?"

"No need to yell, m'boy," called a voice that was eerily familiar to the gender-cursed youth. "I may be old, but my hearing's as sharp as ever."

"Old Letch?"

The small figure came from behind a bookcase, smoking on a small pipe, perfectly resembling the perverted founder of Anything Goes. "Ah, I see you've had the sad luck of running across my brother, Happosai."

"B-b-brother!" screeched Ranma. _By Kami-sama, there are two of them!_

"Quiet down, boy. You want them to toss you outta here?" asked the small figure, as he took a seat at a table. "And stop your fretting; I am not a Letcher like my brother. I'll have you know I take my life very serious at times, and I don't act like a spoiled brat."

Ranma slowly nodded. "Um ... what's your name, Old Man?"

"Just call me 'Old Man', m'boy," said the Old Man. "I'm much too old for any formalities."

"Um ... okay," said Ranma, neither moving from his spot, nor taking his eyes off the Brother of Happosai.

The Old Man sighed. "Take a seat, boy. I doubt you came in here just to stand like a statue."

Ranma nodded, slowly taking a seat.

"So, what can I do to help you?" asked the Old Man.

"Um ... I got this curse..."

"You've got a lot of 'em, m'boy," said the Old Man.

"What?"

"I said you have a lot of 'em. What; don't tell me that you done ruined your hearing with that loud music you youth are always cranking up too damn loud."

Ranma could only blink. "No, I mean what do you mean I have a lot of curses?"

"Oh," said the Old Man. "Sorry, thought you knew.

"Anyway," said the Old Man, listing things off by ticking them off on his hands. "You have the Curse of Bad Timing that makes you seem to have the worst luck at the worst times. Then we have this curse that seems to make you attractive to the opposite gender, though whoever did it made the curse too strong, since it seems to be set to attract those who are a little ... excitable..."

Ranma nodded slowly, seeing that as a very good explanation why he seemed to get the whack jobs always wanting him.

"Then we have a Reverse Baldness Curse. While that might not sound too bad, the way it works is when you reach the age the person who cursed you had first begun to lose their hair, you'll lose yours as their hair regrows itself."

Ranma began to growl. _Pops, I am so kicking your ass for that._

"Then there is this weird attempt at a curse, which seems to draw negative karma to you."

Ranma growled a bit louder. Oh, some people were really going to get it when he got home.

"Also, I see the 'Never Say Never' curse. That means the universe constantly has to send stronger and stronger challengers your way."

Ranma blinked. _So all those freaks that show up after me for some reason ... is because of a curse?_

"And then we have—"

"Actually, while all that is good to know," interrupted Ranma, "and I hope you can help me with, I'm really here about my Jusenkyo curse."

The Old Man nodded. "I assume this is your birth form."

Ranma nodded.

"And your other form?"

"Girl."

"Ah, Nyannichuan," commented the Old Man.

"You should know that the human-form springs are the worst," he commented, as he repacked a new pipe. "The others are still bad, but the human-form ones always have an extra Water Magnet curse. Jusenkyo may not want to lead to your death, but it knows a human form is easier to adjust and defend, so it throws that in as extra punishment."

Ranma sulked into his seat, finally understanding how water could find him at such weird times.

"Hmm," said the Old Man, as he left his seat, and headed to his bookshelf. "Can you stop brooding for a minute, m'boy, and help an old man fetch the books he needs?"

Ranma was about to retort that he wasn't brooding, when his eyes opened wide. "You mean you might be able to help me?"

"Those lesser curses, sure," said the Old Man, lighting his pipe. "I can probably at least remove the Water Magnet curse.

"The problem is that it has been a few decades since I even thought of Jusenkyo, so that one I ain't quite sure, but I'll do the best I can."

"Wow, thanks Old Man," he said, smiling, as he walked over to the bookshelf.

* * *

Ranma sat for a few hours, eating the food the Old Man had offered, while the elderly mystic continued to work on a cure. Ranma had already had most of his lesser curses removed—the removal of the Water Magnet curse had resulted in a small explosion that was keeping many of the fair's visitors away from the tent.

In his gratitude, as the Old Man removed each curse, Ranma sped around, getting what he needed, and fixing what he could find. After all, he didn't want to upset the man if he could help it, a cure being so close. And besides, it would have been nice to have one person on his side, instead of wanting his hide.

"Hmm," said the Old Man, looking into his cauldron.

"Hmm?"

"It seems we may have a slight problem with your final curse," said the Old Man.

Ranma sighed; he knew it had been going too well. "What now?"

"It seems that something has ... attached itself to the curse magic, something very ancient and strong."

Ranma blinked. "Nekoken?" was his first guess.

The Old Man blinked. "The bastardized one or the real one?"

"The one where you take a kid and throw him—"

"That is the bastardized one," sighed the Old Man. "Don't worry," said the Old Man, seeing the slightly panicked look on Ranma's face. "I know of a few tricks that could help you with it. Just spend the night and we'll see what we come up with."

"How much?"

"My brother, you deal with him often?"

"I like taking on the Old Freak."

The Old Man chuckled, seeing the boy's potential. "For free; anyone that annoys my brother is okay in my book."

But the Old Man sighed. "But what is interfering with the Jusenkyo curse's removal is not the Nekoken, but an ancient magic long thought lost to this world. In fact, I've only heard of one remaining member of this magic."

"So I got to fight them?"

"Not at all m'boy," said the Old Man. "In fact, she might be family."

"She?" Ranma squeaked.

"Let me tell you something child," he said, returning to his seat. "A long time ago, a powerful race ... well, you could say they ruled these lands, humans, but not humans. They were very strong, and in my old opinion, often misunderstood. They were often seen as Kami."

"Were they?"

"Can't say," shrugged the Old Man. "I can see how some would see that. But they were just a different type of human. They had immortality, eternal youth, and a power many only dream of.

"But many of them are gone, often choosing to relieve themselves of their power before they became too decadent. My foolish brother even tried to find them because of this power, and sought out my help. Safe to say, he didn't like the answers I offered him.

"But anyway, what I can tell you is that many did have children with normal mortals, and this gift was passed along. But with any gift, without reinforcement in the next generation, it can and will often grow weaker, becoming a paler shadow of its former glory, until it disappears completely."

"I'm afraid I ain't seeing the point here," said Ranma.

"The point is child that sometimes ... for some unknown reason ... the gift returns to its full glory. Something like it skipping a generation or so."

"So this gift ... it's what is screwing with my cure?"

"Yes, because the Pools of Sorrow were created by these people, and the pools can never leave their masters."

"So because Jusenkyo sees me as like its master, it won't get off me?"

"Exactly, m'boy. And I ain't got Clue One on how to get it to let you go."

Ranma sighed a bit. "So I'm stuck changing like this?"

"Maybe in time..." the Old Man said. "There is always the chance that since it sees you as its Master, it'll give you control over the curse in time. After all, even magic that ancient has to follow the laws of magic."

"So what now?" sulked Ranma.

"Well m'boy, the first step to being the Master to tell it what to do, is to wake up the full potential. To be honest, I think you'll be the first one born like them in a while. In a way, you should be a bit thankful for Jusenkyo."

"Say that again, Old Man?" growled Ranma.

"Well, because of Jusenkyo, your ki is almost even between yin and yang. And as you know, it is supposed to be skewed more towards one side or the other.

"But yours is very close to even. As such, both sides are trying to establish themselves as dominant."

"I'm not gonna start to like guys are nothing, am I?" asked Ranma, slightly pale.

"Not unless you choose to, m'boy," said the Old Man. "Not that there is anything wrong with it. To each their own, and if it ain't hurting me, I don't really care.

"But the truth is that this balance and battle forces your own ki levels higher, as they compete. My guess is that you have a few sparring partners who were about even with you up to a bit after you got cursed, but lately, you've been leaving them in the dust in sheer energy."

Ranma slowly nodded. He hadn't really thought much about it, but he did notice how he had been getting more energy than Bacon Breath. He just figured it had been because of all the fights he was normally in. "So the curse ... is actually making me stronger?"

"To a point, child," said the Old Man. "I figure sooner or later, you'll either need to have the curse removed, or you'll simply start changing to better deal with the energy buildup."

"But you said I can't have it removed," said Ranma.

"This means we need to change you, and that means waking up that gift I was telling you about."

"And what is this gift?" asked Ranma, narrowing his eyes.

"Tell me m'boy, in all your travels, have you ever heard ... of the Sanjiyan Unkara?"


	2. Starting the Path of Discovery

**The Onikami Files**

**Chapter 2**

**Starting the Path of Discovery**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

It was a quiet and peaceful day, along a stretch of road deep within Western China. The bird were singing, the weather sunny with just enough cloud cover to keep it from becoming balmy, with the wind carefully caressing all it could.

But sadly, such a peace could not last forever.

"No!" came a loud voice of an elderly man, one very similar to what many women feared to hear, often racing to hide any underclothes they held dear.

"Damn it, Old Man!" shouted another voice, a male voice that man considered to be the very enemy of said man. "I want ta know your name!"

"Well you ain't getting it, m'boy," said the elderly man.

The two who had disturbed this peaceful natural setting could in fact be seen coming over a small hill, the small man sitting on top of the boy's backpack, as the man smoked a small pipe. "I already explained it to you before we left Japan. I really don't see what's so hard for you to understand."

"Well, it ain't like I can keep calling ya 'Old Man' for the rest of the trip, now is it," growled out Ranma.

"Nothing wrong if you do," said the Old Man. "You've been calling me it since we left Japan to come here."

"JUST TELL ME YOUR NAME!" yelled Ranma, stopping along the path, and trying to grab the elderly advisor from atop his pack.

But the Old Man proved he was just as quick as his perverted brother, quickly vanishing from the pack, and appearing a few meters down the road. "M'boy, I'll let you in on a small secret. I only told one man my real name in all the years since I abandoned that little snot of a brother of mine," he said. "And the only way an impatient child like yourself will ever learn it is if he tells you. Unless ... you want to go asking my brother about it."

Ranma growled for a bit. Yeah, like he could ever get a straight answer from the Old Letch. "So all I gotta do is get this guy who knows your name ta tell me?"

The Old Man snorted. "You really need to work on your language skills, m'boy. You sound like you were educated by a yokel.

"But yes, you just ask him what my name is, and he'll tell you ... if he remembers."

"And where is this guy?"

"That's the man we're going to see, m'boy," said the Old Man, walking closer to Ranma. "You see, while I may be great at finding lost history, even a person like me couldn't have learned all I did about the Sanjiyan Unkara without a large reserve of their facts that were protected from Erasers."

"Erasers?"

"M'boy, they didn't like to be public when they were around," said the Old Man. "Nowadays, I have to be very careful, as they have old allies and such who are working on erasing their very presence from the rest of the world. After all, how can you fight what you don't understand?"

"So they're invaders?"

"Not exactly m'boy. You see, some may not really have given a damn if we humans knew about them. However, there are those that would rather stay in the shadows, and kill anyone trying to shine a spotlight at them."

Ranma gulped. "These people are killers?"

"Like I said, m'boy, some are. They're a lot like humans, in that you have some with pure hearts, and others that have pure corrupted souls. The point is that if asked, some won't hesitate to slay you, me, and anyone in their way."

"Is this guy...?"

"Not unless his little problem allowed them to."

"Problem?"

"Well, this source of mine was once a Sanjiyan Unkara. He left his tribe because their ruler was ... well ... a power-obsessed madman bent on ruling everyone and everything he saw fit to. So, he disappeared, and built a place that that idiot could never find, no matter what sources he used. Hell, he even enchanted the place so you can't really find it, teleport in... You name it; he did it to ensure that even if he died, they'd never get his research. It'll only let a select few in, but it's been so long, even he doesn't know what those select few have to have to get in."

"How does that relate to his problem?"

"Well m'boy, one of his research projects was to create permanent immortality for a Sanjiyan Unkara, much like their Wu."

"Wu?" asked Ranma. "I think ya mentioned them before."

"Nice to see your mind retains some facts," grumbled the Old Man. "Yes, a Wu is the immortal bodyguard of a Sanjiyan Unkara. You see, the Sanjiyan Unkara can use powerful magic, but it can leave them so drained, they sleep for days. Kind of hard to stay safe when you could sleep for that long.

"So, they found a way to create Wu. They find someone they often believe can protect them, and perform a technique, which transfers a person's soul into them."

"WHAT?"

"Not like you're thinking," grumbled the Old Man, having been close enough to feel the ringing in his ears from that yell.

"How can them taking a soul not be taking as a bad thing?" yelled Ranma.

"They don't take the soul, m'boy; just the anchor point."

"Huh?"

"Think of your soul as a boat, the anchor point is the anchor, keeping it to your body. Now, if you get injured enough, that chain snaps, and your soul is cut loose, you die. What they do is put the chain into themselves, making it impossible to break. As a result, the magic that is part of them ensures that any damage to the body of the Wu is healed. Might take a while, depending on how banged up the Wu is, but they'll reform. A cut will disappear as the injuries negate themselves. Hell, there have been tales of Wu who have been blown to little more than dust in the wind. But in a few weeks, they were back together and talking."

"So ... they really don't take your soul?"

"It falls either way, m'boy," said the Old Man. "In a way, they have your soul, but not to the point where you're some brain-dead zombie. Granted, they usually wait until you've stopped growing and are the best possible asset for them. The magic also negates your aging. So if they took your anchor as a child, you'd be an eternal child."

Ranma slowly nodded. "Sounds like something the Old Letch would like."

"True, that is why my worthless brother asked me to find them," said the Old Man. "Of course, they had all but been wiped out. I knew of only two living, and the man we're going to see. One was the Sanjiyan Unkara who killed them all, and he had a Wu who was sealed up somewhere. The other was a young girl who recently acquired her Wu, and there was no way I was going to subject my brother on her."

"And this other guy?"

"Well, like I said, he was experimenting with trying to give himself the eternal life of a Wu. Remember what I said about an anchor. Sure, the Wu's is safe, but only as long as the magic exists to power it. If the magic disappears, meaning the Sanjiyan Unkara dies..."

"Then ... the Wu dies?"

"Yes, m'boy," said the Old Man. "Granted, in those that had that bastard humanization ritual used on them, their Wu had their anchors returned. That is the only way to reverse it as far as I know.

"But my friend, he wanted a way around that flaw. He wanted to make it so that you could never kill a Sanjiyan Unkara without stripping them of their magic. Of course, he researched it for centuries before he made one attempt."

"What happened?"

"He tried to pull on his own anchor while looking in a mirror, coated with phoenix blood, hoping that by doing so, he'd make his anchor indestructible, and thus make himself immortal."

"Phoenix ... blood?" asked the now pale Ranma.

"Yeah, why?"

Ranma gulped. "Um. This guy wouldn't be known as Saffron, would he?"

"You know the guy?" asked the Old Man. "Well, he was close to his rebirth cycle when I met him last. How was he?"

"Um..."

* * *

"WHAT!" came the loud yell of an elderly man, as birds and animals from miles around took off and away from whatever created such a loud noise.

* * *

"Damn," muttered Ranma, as he tried to stop the ringing in his ears.

"I can't believe they did that to him," growled the Old Man. "I mean, if he was only shown his lab..."

"Lab?"

"When I first arrived there, they were very dubious of me," said the Old Man, "given my brother's pathetic legacy. But then I discovered Saffron's lab. In it, he learned of his past, the research. Hell, there was a waiting attempt he had made where he could pass his memories on from one life to the next, as long as he hadn't ascended yet. He was supposed to use it in his next cycle, in order to spend more time working on a cure.

"But it looked like those old chickens in charge didn't show it to him, despite that he said he'd order them to," growled the Old Man once again.

Shaking his head, he turned towards Ranma. "Just so you know; the man I knew would be glad you stopped the fool he had turned into, if this is the guy you had to take out to save that Tendo girl.

"I just hope we don't need to kill him again," sighed the Old Man. "Well come along now. My old friend needs his medicine, and we need his lab to wake up your latent side."

"My what?"

The Old Man sighed. "M'boy, you really do try even my patience."

* * *

"Halt!" yelled out one Phoenix guard. "Identify yourself, landling!"

The Old Man growled. "Last I heard; Saffron was against such slanderous terms. Don't tell me that those feather-brained morons changed even that?"

"How dare you insult our leaders!" challenged the guard.

The Old Man smirked. "Because I was here about thirty years ago, brat. The last I checked, Saffron was a man growing a heart."

"Who are you?" spoke a female voice.

"Long time, no see, Kiima," said another voice as he appeared before them.

"Saotome," she growled, tightening the hold on her pike.

"The Defiler!" challenged the guard, rushing to attack Ranma.

Before Ranma could even take the guard on, the Old Man deflected the attack with his pipe, sending the guard into the mountainside, and out cold. "Trolire must be rolling in his grave if you're that stupid, m'boy."

"How do you know of my grandfather?" asked Kiima, raising her own weapon.

"Grandfather?" said the Old Man. "Ah, you must be Trilire's child. I knew them both when I came here last time. Tell me, your father wouldn't happen to be Ghosik, would he?"

"H-H-How?" Kiima said, backing up slightly.

Ranma just sighed. "Listen, the Old Man was here before, made friends with Hothead, before he was reborn and turned into a major jackass by the guys you stupidly left to care for him. Now he's back to help Hothead become a decent guy again."

The Old Man nodded. "That's about it ... well, minus the Hothead comment. After all, I can't help you, m'boy, without Saffron's help."

"Help? Him?" Kiima said, pointing at Ranma.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were supposed to raise him to value your lives, right?" asked the Old Man, remembering some of the tales Ranma spoke of. "Unless of course, you like him trying to crush you with the mountain."

"And why should we trust you?" asked Kiima.

"Because I can get Saffron to his adult self in a day," said the Old Man. "If you need more, I'll show you where his lab is, if he can still reach the entrance controls, of course, and assuming the destroyed tap didn't damage it too much."

* * *

"Damn," muttered the Old Man, looking over the damaged wall that the two taps came from.

"Kiima," asked the short child known as Saffron, "are these people good people?" He had been brought to them by Kiima's orders, to test the story of the Old Man.

"Of course, old friend," said the Old Man. "Why, when I taught it to you, you always gave me such a good game of European Chess, the likes of which I've yet to find again," he said.

"What is going on?" yelled an elderly Phoenix, as he and several others entered the cavern.

"I'm trying to correct the foolish mistake you feather-brained fools created," said the Old Man, looking over the wall.

"You!" cried one. "We shall not let you poison our Lord with anymore of your lies!"

"If it's all Saffron's stuff," said Ranma, "then how is telling him about it a lie?"

"The Defiler!" cried another man. "Guards, kill him!"

Ranma just growled, as chi began to gather in his hands. "Try it and I'll be seeing if any of you can turn into eggs." Killing lost a lot of the fear when the dead just came back.

"Old Friend," said the Old Man, pointing to Saffron, "could you touch those three stones right there, and focus some power into them. That should open the door to your lab."

"My lab?" asked Saffron.

"Well, there is something special you left in there that can make you an adult again. You just need to take it."

"Wow," said the small immortal Phoenix. Being an adult meant he didn't need to take so many naps, let alone study as much as Kiima wanted him to. "That sounds cool!"

"See, they have begun to corrupt our Lord once again!"

"Double Mōko Takabisha!" yelled Ranma, sending two balls of chi towards the elderly men, driving them to the side. "Listen, I don't really care if you old fools are stuck being idiots, but I need this so I can live!"

"All the more reason to stop you now!" cried one of the elders, grabbing a pike from the guards, and charging on his own.

Ranma simply shook his head, as he grabbed the pike, and used the elderly Phoenix's own momentum to spin him around and throw him into his buddies.

"There we go," said the Old Man, as Saffron finished doing what he needed to open the doorway.

As the wall parted, the room soon began to be encompassed in light, as ancient spells started.

The cavern was huge, the walls lined with stacks of books and scrolls, the floor littered with tables, small chambers, beakers of unknowns. The walls were covered with shelves and open spaces with parchments and diagrams on them.

The only thing out of place were two narrow grates in the floor, which seemed to go from one end of the cavern to another.

One, which looked like it had lead to where the Phoenix Tap drew its water from, was empty, while the one that looked like it fed the Dragon Tap continued to flow, a pale blue glow seeming to cover and explode off the water, as it passed by.

"Just like I remembered it," said the Old Man.

"Wow," whispered Ranma and Chibi-Saffron, as the rest of the Phoenix slowly entered.

"We should leave!" demanded one of the council. "This is forbidden!"

"This is Saffron's place," growled the Old Man. "You can't tell him one way or the other what he can do here."

"We will stop you!"

"Guards!" called out another.

"Ranma, m'boy," said the Old Man. "I do hate to impose on you, but can you keep the old fools busy until I get my Old Friend here his medicine?"

"Sure," said Ranma, cracking his knuckles, as more nervous Phoenix guards showed up, not quite certain to attack the Defiler, or the man escorting their reborn Lord into a secret chamber they had never known of.

* * *

"I had no idea that this was here," said Kiima, as she escorted Saffron by holding his hand, to keep the young Lord from destroying anything in his excitement.

"Only Saffron knew of it, aside from myself," said the Old Man, looking about. "He said he'd tell the elders, so they could ensure he could grow quickly to continue his research."

"Yet another duty they have failed to do," growled the female Phoenix.

The Old Man nodded, as he hopped over to a small chest and opened it, pulling out a bottle of a glowing red liquid. "Ah, this is it."

"What is it?" asked Saffron.

The Old Man looked at the small child. _It would probably be best not to tell him it is his blood from then; spelled to stay lively and do the purpose he wanted._ "Um ... a special medicine you made to grow up and remember what you forgot when you made this."

"Oh," said the child, nodding.

"So, what will happen when he drinks that?" asked Kiima.

"Well, he said he should attain his full adult form, and not lose any time he has before his next rebirth. It is also intended to give him his memories up to the point the potion was created."

Kiima slowly nodded. "We do need him to take command soon. The Elders have been most ... stubborn about recent events. They have even begun to demand to be part of Lord Saffron's education once again, as well as making plans to acquire the territories of the Musk and Amazons."

"No more school work, no more books, no more nap time..." chanted the little Lord, as he imagined a life without all those stupid things Kiima said he had to do.

The Old Man nodded, as a broken pike came across the floor, followed by more taunts from Ranma. "Well, I think we should hurry."

"So I just drink this?" asked Saffron, as the Old Man handed him the corked vial.

"Yep, now drink it all. It might not taste too good," he cautioned. "But trust me, you'll feel much better after you take it."

The Old Man then backed up to Kiima, as Saffron took the stopper out of the bottle. "If this works as well as his other potions did ... we better duck."

"What?" she asked, eyes wide, as she felt herself tripped by the Old Man.

"Fire in the hole!"

"Mmm," smirked Saffron. "Tastes like cherries!"

And then everything went white.

* * *

Ranma stumbled forward as he felt a wave of energy pass behind him. "Hey, Old Man! That better have been a good thing!" he yelled behind him, as he took on another Elder who felt he could fight. "Damn, you guys need ta take lessons from the old ghouls in the Amazons. At least they can give me a workout."

* * *

"You okay, old friend?"

Saffron placed his hand against his head, feeling a major headache. "Did someone just stuff that overgrown potato Kaiyanwang in my head?"

"No," said the voice.

"Then I'll be fine," said Saffron, slowly sitting up, trying to focus his sight. "What hit me?"

"Your memories," said the old voice, as the shapes finally resolved.

"You?" he asked.

"Yep," smirked the Old Man. "Glad to see that serum actually worked. I started to get a little afraid it would blow you up, and I'd have to run for it."

"Serum," said Saffron, rubbing his head. "Wait, I remember that. I ... I remember... IT WORKED!" he shouted, standing up, arms high in the air, winged spread, and accidentally flashing Kiima his nude form. His earlier clothes did very little to hide his adult form's modesty.

But his smile soon turned to a growl. "And where are my soon-to-be dead advisors? I need to thank them for trying to keep me away from this."

"Oh, I think my current charge is dealing with them," said the Old Man, as another pained cry echoed through the chamber.

"Damn," muttered Saffron, ignoring the stares of his people, as he slowly stood up. "I wanted to fry them for that."

"I'm sure the boy'll leave them alive," said the Old Man. "Need to break him of that habit."

"So, why're you here?" asked Saffron, as he grabbed an old robe that was hanging nearby on a chair, something he had last worn before his last remembered death. "Last you said; you doubted you would be back this way, not wanting to lead your foolish brother here, or some nonsense like that."

"I need to ask you about whether or not those taps are still useable," said the Old Man, pointing to the two flows of water that passed by the lab, through several grates. "Mainly, I need to know if the one source of the waters for those taps is safe."

"What for?" asked Saffron. "You need the White Water for something?"

"Yes, the boy needs it to live," said the Old Man.

"Oh, care to explain?"

"A bit later, after the boy's had his fun," said the Old Man. "But I should tell you something very important."

"What?"

"I saw this one chess game last decade in Belgium. And let me tell you..."

Kiima could only look up at the two from the floor, her eyes wide. "Shit, I think it killed me. This can't be real."

She was still blushing from seeing her Lord returned to adult form ... minus some clothes.

* * *

"Um, excuse me," said Ranma, slightly worse for wear, walking up to his former worst enemy/current hope for survival, stepping over the grumbling female Phoenix.

"Yes?" asked Saffron, turning from his conversation with the Old Man about recent chess games.

"I was wondering if you could tell me the Old Man's real name." Ranma decided he would have that name, and wanted it quickly ... before more people took what he said the wrong way.

"His name?" asked Saffron, scratching his head.

"Yeah, what's the Old Man's name?" pleaded Ranma, pointing at the Old Man in question.

"His name is Rouou," said Saffron, smiling.

"Rouou?" asked Ranma, eyes confused, as he turned towards the Old Man. "Your name is Rouou?"

"Yep," said the smiling elder.

"But that means 'Old Man'."

"And?"

Ranma started to growl. "All this time, your name is the same thing I've been calling you ever since I met you?" he asked.

Saffron started chuckling. "Ah, he did that again. I remember some of the stories he told me about doing that same thing."

"Always good for a laugh," smirked Rouou.

"DIE, OLD MAN!" yelled Ranma.

"Oh, now you're okay with using that name," said Rouou, dodging the assault.

"HEY!" yelled Saffron. "NO FIGHTING IN MY LAB!"

Kiima slowly shook her head. "Great, traded one child for two more."

* * *

"The lab you see here is a more recent endeavor on my part," said Saffron, as the walked along the grates. "I added it to this room after I made these pathways for the White Water to flow along."

Ranma looked between the two. "Why?"

"Well, I was experimenting with the water," said Saffron. "If you'll look, you'll notice the Dragon Tap pathway is lined with blue crystals, and the Phoenix Tap is lined with red ones. They control the temperature of the two, giving them the properties I needed at the time. It wasn't until later I discovered they could 'ascend' a Phoenix into a source of life for this tribe."

"My Lord," said Kiima. "Did you create us as well?"

"A side effect from an earlier experiment," said Saffron. "But do not think anything less of your existence, dear Kiima. That was one unforeseen consequence I have never regretted."

The Phoenix girl slowly nodded at the information about the creation of her people.

Rouou merely nodded his head as he listened to the story once more. "He didn't even plan for this water to escape, the magic itself imbued by these crystals wasn't meant to last beyond the slope of the mountain, and yet..."

"Jusenkyo," said Ranma.

Saffron nodded. "A sad event; but even I have to wonder how everything that drowned to curse those pools made it there."

"The room connected to the levers on the taps are behind this door," said Rouou. "They run along the floor, set up so only one can be on at the time. You're quite fortunate m'boy that your attack triggered the off for the Phoenix Tap."

Ranma slowly nodded, wondering what would have happened had the tornado pulled in hot water.

As the entered the main room, Ranma spied the true source of the waters of Jusenkyo.

It looked like a normal pile of stones, a natural spring. But he could sense something behind the mound of earth and rock that the water poured from, something that was not quite right. The water then poured down the small stones, into a central bath, which ran around the stone mound. From there, it encountered a series of levees, as it reached on area with an old stone gate. The gate appeared to direct the water to one path, with a series of smaller gates ensuring that it could only go down one path at a time.

"I take it you sense it," said Rouou, pointing to the mouth. "You sense the breech?"

Ranma nodded. "What is it?"

"I studied it for years," said Saffron. "And all I could determine was that it was some natural crack between this world and the Seichi, the Holy Land of the Sanjiyan Unkara. It is a parallel world to this one. I neither learned of where the other side is in Seichi, let alone how it gets here, just that it does."

"And this is what I need?" asked Ranma.

Rouou nodded, barely stopping Ranma from running into the water. "It has to be done a certain way, ingrate, or it'll kill you!"

"Oh," said Ranma, as he ceased struggling to get to the water.

"No patience," muttered Saffron.

"HEY!" yelled Ranma. "I got plenty of patience!"

"How long before we can ascend the boy?" asked Rouou, glaring at Ranma.

"About a day," said Saffron. "I need to prepare to ensure the water doesn't do anything else since he's already been touched by it."

"I have?"

"Your curse," muttered Rouou.

"Oh."

Rouou sighed. "Which means I can begin giving you your lessons."

Ranma started to smile. "Ya mean like martial arts techniques?" he asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I mean like basic history and such," said Rouou, causing Ranma's excited eyes to turn pale and empty. "You are not going to be an idiot if I can help it."

"HEY!" Ranma yelled, glaring at Rouou.

"Knowledge is power, boy," glared the old man. "A simple fact your father has failed to teach you."

"Knowledge is also the basis of magic," said Saffron. "The more knowledge you have, the more power you can wield." He then pointed off to the side, showing a door. "And without knowledge, you cannot wield what lies in there."

"What lies in there?" asked Ranma.

"That m'boy, is what you'll learn when we feel your ready, not when you think you are," said Rouou.

"And when will I be ready?" asked Ranma.

The two glared at him. "What?"

"He doesn't listen very well, does he?" asked Saffron.

"Not a single bit," said Rouou.

"Hey!"


	3. Discovering Yourself Part 1

**The Onikami Files**

**Chapter 3**

**Discovering Yourself Part 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

Ranma growled from his inverted position, focusing his ki at his fingertip, as he balanced on the large bump in a board. "Hey, Old Man?"

"Hmm," said the small elderly man, sitting a small distance away from Ranma, his own focus on a chess board.

"How long am I supposed to be doing this?" he asked, remembering to use 'proper' language, less Rouou start chucking things at him during the exercise.

"Until you have the right amount of control," said Rouou, as he tried to decide if he wanted to move one of his bishops or his last knight against Saffron.

"When am I going to get that damned water?" Ranma growled out. It had been nearly two weeks since they had found the water and fixed Saffron, and he was growing a bit impatient.

"When we think you're ready," said Saffron, observing the board.

"I'm ready now!" cried Ranma.

"He is so impatient," muttered Saffron.

"Still kicked your ass!" yelled Ranma, right before a chess piece hit him in the center of his head.

"No patience at all," muttered Saffron, as he lowered his hand.

"Better hope that didn't damage anything," said Rouou. "This board wasn't cheap, I can tell you that."

"What about me?" yelled Ranma, rubbing the developing bruise with his free hand.

"Keep practicing," yelled Rouou.

"Just where did you get the idea for that technique?" asked Saffron. "It is a most unusual way to teach control."

"Off an anime I saw," said the old man, as he finally moved his knight. "Saw it in Kyoto when the carnival traveled there. Nice city, great parks; not many good chess players though."

"I think I remember a tale of a guy who got an Amazon wife because he defeated her in a game of chess," said Saffron.

Ranma just grumbled at his spot. Old people sucked.

* * *

"This sucks," mumbled Ranma, as he collapsed onto his bed, his energy spent and his body exhausted from a day of training.

"You're pretty fond of complaining, child," said Rouou, sitting on the windowsill.

"I thought you were trying to help me out?"

Rouou looked at his pupil. "Well, m'boy, you just don't seem to understand. We keep explaining it to you, and you keep tuning us out."

Ranma just glared at the man. "Then explain it so I get it!"

The Old Man sighed. Was the boy always going to be like this? Shaking his head, he turned to look out the window of their small room. "Did you listen to the history of the Sanjiyan Unkara?"

"Yeah," said Ranma. "A lot of them needed to have their asses kicked."

"You think I'm going to help you become something like them, like the monsters a good bit of them were?"

Ranma looked at him, shock evident on his face.

"I do care what happens to you, boy," said Rouou. "But I also care what happens to this world. You think I'd give the power of the Sanjiyan Unkara to someone who I even thought would misuse it? Three hundred years ago, one lone Sanjiyan Unkara and his Wu decimated the entire people, wrecking havoc on their world. The Seichi has never been the same, and only grew worse because of the servants of that Sanjiyan Unkara. I know for a fact that given a chance, such would be done to Earth as well.

"And if you think I will take a chance on a brash youth unable to control themselves to become another Sanjiyan Unkara like that?" he asked. "I ain't going to save a life if it'll create a monster."

Ranma found that he couldn't look at the old man's face.

"You have potential, I won't deny that," said Rouou. "I've met only a few people in my life with the same potential as you. But you've misused it, tainted it with the same shadow as my brother."

"I ain't a pervert!" Ranma screamed.

"Just because lust isn't the desire you've fulfilled doesn't make any difference," said Rouou. "A martial artist studies the Art for combat skills, fitness, self-defense, sport, self-cultivation (meditation), mental discipline, character development and building self-confidence. In effect, you've barely scratched half the basics, and half the advanced lessons."

"I meditate," said Ranma weakly.

"Child, you don't grasp the main point," said Rouou. "In many ways, you are still a child. In what you hope to accomplish here, such an attitude will lead to your death at the hands of the Shadows, or the abuse of your powers by those who would trick you."

Ranma stayed silent for a bit. "I know I ain't the smartest when it comes to mind stuff. Nabiki's always ... testing me in that." Yes, testing. After all, you couldn't lose to a test, and Ranma Saotome never loses.

"Another thing," said Rouou, "you can't admit it when a girl defeats you in anything."

"She didn't beat me!" yelled Ranma. "I was just ... practicing, that's all."

"Guess what, m'boy; you lost." He puffed a little longer on his pipe. "In fighting, you are one of the best. In just about anything else, you suck. And in the world you need to enter to survive; it would be best to simply let you die as you are now, than to let you advance and become something worse."

He fixed his eyes on the saddened youth, noticing a small sickly green aura surrounding the youth. "You got maybe ... maybe ... a month before your power levels reach a critical point. You have that long to grow into someone we can trust to have that power, or we'll ship you home in a jar. So, are you going to give up, be the same bull-headed fool you've been up till now, or are you going to finally grow up, Peter Pan?"

Ranma didn't get the reference to the name. Did the Old Man finally go senile and forget his?

No, wait, he had other things to think about. "I'll try, Old Man."

"Ain't no try in this, m'boy," said Rouou. "It's do or die, literally."

* * *

"How's he holding up?" asked Saffron, standing inside the locked room that was in the same chamber as the White Water.

"Boy's either going to break or grow stronger," said Rouou. "Hard to say at this point."

"Hope he is able to overcome," said Saffron.

"How are the Beast Eggs?" asked Rouou. He had known that Saffron had a huge stash of them hidden inside the room, meant to keep others from finding them. After all, unless you were either an immortal like a Wu, or allied with them enough to be able to call upon their power, a Shuuma born from those eggs would devour your life force; the price paid for summoning them. Saffron had a huge assortment, mostly from his own breeding programs he had in place before he reincarnated and lost a majority of his memories.

"Pretty good, all things considered," the Immortal Phoenix said. "I was afraid some of them would have rotted during my absence, but they are all quite well. I expect they will be ready for a Wu or a possible Sanjiyan Unkara to use within a few weeks."

"Can a Sanjiyan Unkara even use Shuumashutsu?" asked Rouou. "I thought only the Wu could use it?"

"Nothing saying they can't," said Saffron. "It's just that many preferred to leave it to their Wu to do their fighting for them. After the first bond, I'll know if it is killing him, and he can release it."

"Have you bonded with them?" asked Rouou.

"In my present state, I won't," quietly admitted Saffron. "We've seen my rebirth is not secure, and I would fear what my previous incarnation would have done with these creatures in his thrall. No, they shall not be used by me."

"A wise precaution," said the Old Man.

Saffron nodded. "Of course, if these help bring down Shiva before he destroys everything, my curse will be worth the suffering I endure."

"Are we sure the blowhard is free?" asked Rouou.

Saffron nodded. "What few contacts I have left say that not only is he freed, but the Princess has started to face his minions, as well as has chosen a Wu. Hope the boy is a quick learner," he said, looking over the eggs. "I might have Ranma take a few of these to them as a peace offering, if we can locate her, and he passes the test."

He paused in his thoughts for a bit, turning to face his old friend. "Has the boy even considered choosing a Wu?" he asked.

"Not likely," said Rouou. "From what I've learned, the boy hasn't given much thought to after he becomes a Sanjiyan Unkara, let alone who he might choose as a Wu, assuming he gets one. His training might enable him to fire off spells without sleeping, but he doesn't like to depend on others too much. From what I got out of him about his life, doesn't surprise me."

"You got him to talk openly?"

Rouou smiled. "Never underestimate a master like myself. A few well placed herbs and potions, and he can't help but chat without filtering or holding back. Can't say I'm too happy with those he calls friends and family."

Saffron nodded. "I have some vague recollections of them while they were here. I'll get Kiima to fill me in on the rest."

"Quite a few candidates though," muttered Rouou. "The problem is that none of them would be mentally able to handle it, at least as far as the guys are concerned. The girls ... can't really say."

"Bad fighters?"

"Bad ideals," admitted Rouou. "Some of them have skills, but their own hearts aren't in it for the right reasons. And the one who comes closest to it, well ... I can't really see her dealing with either the power or the responsibility. She is too much like the boy right now, in those regards."

Saffron nodded. "And then we come across relationships and such... With his Jusenkyo curse, it will be even more troublesome."

"The boy needs plenty of time before he chooses for many reasons," said Rouou. "Think we should tell him about that?"

"In due time," said Saffron, as he turned back to his Beast Eggs. "The poor boy has enough on his plate already, it seems."

Saffron looked thoughtful for a few moments. "He'll have to think about it soon. We can't even tell at this point how his high ki reserves will translate into magic reserves," the immortal Phoenix stated, as he looked down as his table. "Plus we have Jusenkyo playing into this from both ends. Hard to say, too many unknowns."

Shaking his head slightly, Rouou left his friend to continue his work. Right now, he had to decide how to further train Ranma in the time they had left.

* * *

"So the jerk isn't coming back yet?" asked Akane with a slight growl, far less harsh than many would associate with her temper.

"I'm afraid he is still training to overcome that problem," said Kasumi as she read the letter. She had been fortunate enough to open it while the fathers were still out drinking, otherwise it would have had the ink smeared and would have lead to hours of waling.

Akane merely harrumphed, but her face betrayed the fact she was far more worried then upset.

"So does Ranma-baby say when we can expect him back?" asked Nabiki, reading a manga. Since he had left—and apparently had no clue either to where he was going or locations he might go, let alone even hinted at where he was now—her funds had taken a massive decline. Sure, Kuno still paid for photos of his 'beloved pigtailed girl', but she wasn't going to count on the fact he had yet to realize that she was selling him photos he already had a copy of.

And she really didn't even want to consider how they might be destroyed, if he did know he was receiving copies.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Kasumi. "All he wrote is that it is taking a bit longer than he thought, but he is at least close to a solution to a major problem he is having."

Akane slowly smiled, not looking at her sisters. Maybe it meant he was close to finding a cure? Perhaps even a way to drop all those girls that threw themselves at him—not that the pervert ever stopped them.

"Oh, he also wants me to have Akane cook for his father," Kasumi said, confused. "There is something about 'reverse baldness' scribbled out, and 'bruised panda'. But I can't be certain."

The smile immediately turned into a growl. Was he making fun of her cooking again? Well, maybe not. Maybe she was being asked to practice her recipes on the fathers.

Nabiki stood up, before looking over the letter, more importantly; the envelop. _Chinese? So, Ranma-kun is in China. I wonder what the Amazons would pay for that little bit of info?_ She could stand a bit of ramen tonight for dinner, what with Akane cooking for the fathers. And Kasumi, dutiful as she was, wouldn't leave Akane alone ... to attack her poor defenseless kitchen.

She'd bring her back some takeout.

* * *

"Wha?"

Ranma didn't remember much about the last few minutes. He had barely finished with breakfast, preparing for yet another day of training and attempting to prove he was finally ready to take the damn water and save his life, when he was whisked away by Saffron and Kiima to some weird ... circle on the ground.

And then ... here.

"What is this place?" he asked, looking around, spotting only a massive collection of rocky spines along the floor as far as he could see.

"A massive graveyard," said Rouou, looking around, speaking quietly. "This is where the last survivor of Kaiyanwang Shiva's purge buried the dead. Each of these graves is a Sanjiyan Unkara who sacrificed their life in one way or another to seal that madman away."

"Someone survived?" asked Ranma.

"Princess Parvati IV," said Saffron, as he watched Kiima make a small offering to the nearby graves. "She was but a child, engaged to Shiva. But ... it would appear the madness is more than before."

"I don't understand," said Ranma. "Why ... why would he do this?"

"When I was still one of the Sanjiyan Unkara," said Saffron, "there had always been one Kaiyanwang. He was a ruthless fool who grew his power by absorbing the magic of a Sanjiyan Unkara in what was termed a 'humanization ceremony'," spat Saffron. "All it was, was just the fat fool's way of obtaining power. It drew the power from two Sanjiyan Unkara, and shunted it into him. He had done so for so long, it even warped his body.

"When a Sanjiyan Unkara is drained of their magic, they revert to a human form, can even pass as human," Saffron finished.

"Like my ancestor," said Ranma.

"Maybe, maybe not," said Rouou. "Your ancestor could have been one at full power, or a humanized one, we just don't know."

"This way," said Saffron, as he called Kiima over. "There is something else you need to see, and we must hurry. The longer we linger here, the greater the chance we will be discovered by those we do not wish to see quite yet."

"Wait a minute," said Ranma, following them along a stone-cut path. "How did we go from this potato-guy to crazy Shiva?"

"A strange happenstance of luck," said Rouou. "From what I gathered in my first search, the fool tried to absorb Shiva's power, as well as the power of Parvati III. Well, the statue somehow ended up moved, and the massive power of the Kaiyanwang was absorbed into Shiva. I can't tell if it warped Shiva's mind or what, but he became the new Kaiyanwang, and his recorded personality shifted to ... this," he said, motioning to the graves.

Ranma didn't know what to say. What could he say? It had taken this many people ... this many deaths ... just to seal this power-mad lunatic. And now ... he might be getting free?

And then he remembered Rouou's words to him the days prior to their current trip, how Rouou would not let him become a Sanjiyan Unkara if he might become like Shiva. Did the old man honestly see such ... evil potential within the gender-changing martial artist? Why? "Old Man, you honestly think I could do something like this?" he asked, anger slightly in his voice.

"M'boy, Shiva was a kinder man than you before that power got into him," he said. "The truth of the matter is, you ain't the best person to entrust a huge amount of power to."

"Hey, I can be responsible," growled out Ranma, trying to remember they were attempting to not be noticed on this world. "I ain't told a single person about the Forbidden Scrolls of the Saotome School."

"You just did."

"... Um, could you forget that I said anything?"

Rouou sighed a bit. Sometimes, the boy was too dense to be trained. "M'boy, you act like a child too often. And in this situation, that means you are far more easily seduced by the power offered."

"I can resist power," said Ranma.

"Oh, so you didn't want the power offered by a certain martial arts suit?" asked Rouou, making the boy quiet down.

"We took this trip to show you a point you seem to be unable to learn any other way," said Saffron. "And we hope after you have seen the final marker of this trip you will understand our reasoning all the more."

"Another grave?" asked Kiima.

"No, my dear," said Saffron, failing to notice his general's blush at those words. "What we have left to see ... is the last will of the surviving Sanjiyan Unkara before she fled the Seichi to become human."


	4. Discovering Yourself Part 2

**The Onikami Files**

**Chapter 4**

**Discovering Yourself Part 2**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

He fought hard not to cry out, to scream in pain, as his body convulsed on the bed he had once slept in. Of course, sleep wasn't possible anymore for him, not in the condition his body was in. It felt like his body was trying to explode, to vent some force he was barely controlling at the moment.

It had been like that for the last few nights, his ki levels quickly approaching the unseen barrier between what he could safely control and that which would slowly kill him. He had worked so hard this last month, even harder when he saw the message left behind by the young Princess Parvati IV. It didn't seem like much; but it was all he could think of doing, work hard to make his struggle worth something.

He panted heavily as the wave of pain passed. They were coming more frequently now, making sleep all but a useless attempt for him. He was tired, sore, and felt like banging his head against a wall if only to put him out of his misery for a little while.

Yet he would not, could not, complain to Rouou or the others, even struggled to show no pain during the training session. To be fair though, he would never do that. It would make him seem weaker than he was, but it also provided an outlet for him to throw out that extra power in a controlled manner. He couldn't even count the number of times he sent his ki shooting into the landscape or even towards the heavens. It had been fascinating when he saw that his ki attack did not fall back to the earth, but went soaring into space.

He really hoped some of those ki balls didn't come back down. He didn't want a destroyed city on his conscience.

He wouldn't beg for their help, beg them to give him the cure once again. Those pleas had stopped when he had witnessed the destruction on Seichi. It was a bit of a wake-up call to see that, to truly know what was at stake, what he was hoping to achieve. From what the Old Man had said, he could be only one of two lines of defense against the return of the destroyer of the Sanjiyan Unkara.

Such an event could shake the very core of any person, and Ranma was still a person, despite the amazing abilities he possessed. He saw the pain in the little Sanjiyan Unkara's eyes, the hope that her final message would be heeded.

He couldn't heed it, that much was certain to even him. Kaiyanwang was all too real a threat to his world, a threat that was coming back. Shiva's Wu was still out there, and despite the fact that the Old Man had only hinted about things, even Ranma could see something was coming up.

And he'd be damned if he didn't do everything he could to help.

He tensed up again as the pain lashed into him once more, the bed frame cracking as he held onto it, for fear he would rip into his own palms once again with his nails. It didn't look well for him, he'd admit that now. The pain was coming too often now, too quickly for him to try and burn off the excess energy. His ki levels were rebounding too quickly, faster than he could hope to deplete them.

In any other circumstance, he'd consider it a blessing. Now, it was pure hell.

As the pain disappeared, a strange calm washed over him. This was it, the moment he was warned about.

They say when you know death is certain, when your time is about to occur, you find a certain calmness, a clarity with which to observe everything. You watch your life, ascertaining your weaknesses, your strengths. You know what is happening, what happened, and what awaits you. You feel no fear, no anything, for just that moment, you simply are.

_So this is all I am, this and no more. I can't go further, get stronger, I can't try and make up for the things I goofed up, the people I hurt._

A small tear escaped his eye at that point, thinking of those he was about to leave behind. Was he really like that? Could people have seen him as some … joke?

"Not much time now, child," said Rouou, as he entered the room. "No training today; you want a last meal?"

Ranma slowly looked towards the brother of Happosai. It was hard to imagine the twin so opposite of the Old Letch Ranma knew and halfway despised. For a moment, he wondered what had caused the two to be so different, where had one become a complete pervert and the other a good man.

He chuckled lightly a bit, enjoying the breather as he waited for the next moment of searing pain to strike. How many people said he would likely die in some common fight, or be taken out by some mundane reason, or even be killed by some exotic poison delivered by the newest fiancée/rival.

Ranma didn't lose, and he beat their expectations; not by the way he was hoping—old age after being declared the best martial artist in the world for over a century. But he was going to die not in some great battle, not due to some very questionable cooking, and not due to some cracked love interest. No, he was going to die because of his damned Jusenkyo curse and it forcing his ki levels to compete and overload him.

He blinked at that thought, before nearly biting his tongue when the pain returned. Trying to hold a thought when it felt like your body was going to explode was a difficult thing to do, even if you had endured similar pain for a while now. But he needed to hold this one.

As the pain lessened, he turned quickly to Rouou, seeing the man's usually smiling face looking on his own with sadness. He wasn't about to beg for help, beg to have the damned ceremony or whatnot to become a Sanjiyan Unkara. No, he had tried his best, would continue to try no matter how badly he might lose. "Herb," he called out, his voice hoarse.

"The Musk Prince?" asked Rouou, remembering the boy's descriptions of her earlier fights.

Ranma nodded lightly. "He's … he's cursed like me. Ya … you got to see if you can save him," Ranma finished, panting from his recent struggles. Herb had higher ki levels than he did. And if he was suffering like this because of his constant battles, how long would the Musk Prince—or was he king, last he heard he was supposed to meet his fiancée when he returned…

Ranma's eyes began to lose their focus as his mind did, part of him now imagining Herb being chased around whatever passed for a Musk city by an uncute tomboy whose family came from a long line of gorillas.

His laughter was the last thing he heard before he passed out to blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

Rouou sighed as the dart did its work, sending the boy into a deep coma. Working quickly, he hit enough pressure points to hopefully allow the boy to vent the excess ki into the environment. It wasn't a permanent solution, but it would ease the boy's pain and give him a few more hours of life.

"So the child finally understands," he mused, watching a peaceful look return to Ranma's face. "He sees everything beyond himself for once," Rouou mused.

It was a great relief to see the boy finally understand. If it was a fluke, well, what could he say. The boy would live for a while longer. And now, he would get the help he had come here for.

That was assuming of course that Saffron's little project didn't blow up in their faces. But at least at this scale needed, he probably wouldn't feel the final blast.

"I wonder if old age is making me suicidal," he mused, as he opened the door.

"He's ready," he said to the two tribe members that had followed him. "Take him to be prepared for the ceremony."

"Yes sir," said the duo, as they entered the room.

_You are now at the cusp of greatness, child._

_Can you prove it is deserved though?_

* * *

Saffron looked at the beast eggs along the walls, smiling. It was a difficult task to make these, these that survived their long slumber while so many died or went rotten, becoming only token life entities.

He had started this long ago, back when he was still a full Sanjiyan Unkara, trying to determine if a Sanjiyan Unkara could also wield this power like a Wu could.

It was incomplete, even after his old friend had helped him restore old memories. How did they draw upon the infinite life force of a Wu? How did they not effect the Sanjiyan Unkara who was connected to the Wu that summoned them? Could they be bonded to a Sanjiyan Unkara? And if so, would they adversely effect the Sanjiyan Unkara?

"Lord Saffron?"

Looking up, he spied Kiima peeking through the door. "Yes, Kiima?" he asked, trying not to notice the blush that she carried with her.

"Your guest, Rouou, has asked that you return to the main lab. He says the landling Saotome is ready to ascend."

He could only blink at that. "So the boy showed a talent and a heart beyond the other Sanjiyan Unkara of old," he mused.

"My Lord?"

"Fear not, Kiima, for it is a joyous time," he said, standing up.

"Forgive me, my beast eggs, but I must go awaken the first Sanjiyan Unkara to be born for more than a few centuries," he said. "But with any luck, you all may bond to him, if not his chosen Wu," he finished.

For a moment, the eggs pulsed together with an energy he was forced to recognize.

"I see," he said, looking around. "You sense his impending rebirth."

The pulse happened once more.

"I see," Saffron mused, looking at the eggs. "It seems my information is not the quickest."

"Sir?"

"For another time, my Lady," said Saffron, as he left the chamber. "It appears we have a rebirth party to attend."

* * *

It was odd, to be stuck for the moment between life and death. He hadn't been here too often, but enough to know that such a place existed.

He could remember first meeting Akane, Nabiki's first grab of his girl-form's chest, Kasumi's first talk to him, Shampoo's first glomp as she declared marriage, Ukyo's first blush when he called her cute, Kodachi's face when he saved her from breaking her neck…

Why could he recall them now? Oh yeah, he was dying now, and dying people knew those sorts of things.

Why was he recalling them all now? Where were the memories of being with his mother?

"_You're gonna be such a manly man, won't you my little Ranma-kun?"_

Why wasn't he surprised that he recalled that memory from his mother?

"_My son, I will always love you, no matter what."_

_Mother…_

"His pulse is weakening."

"What shall we do?"

"He must drink and bathe in the White Water."

"Will he survive, my Lord?"

"I truly don't know."

_I … I'm dying._

"_He's a couple by himself!"_

"_Stand ready, foul sorcerer!"_

"_This is all your fault, Ranma!"_

"_The Sanjiyan Unkara were a doomed race."_

"_Please forget about us!"_

"_We each must make our own path."_

"_Son, I love you."_

_Mother… MOTHER!_

* * *

"He is not long for this world," said Saffron, removing his hand from the Jusenkyo cursed mans' forehead.

"So we are not certain if he is too late to be saved," said Rouou.

Saffron nodded. "We have done all we can at this point. He has passed your tests, grown as strong as he can be made in the time we had, and was both given the White Water and bathed in it. There is nothing more to be done."

"Except ensure he's in a shielded room," muttered Rouou.

"He will not explode," came the glaring comment from the Phoenix King.

"I didn't mean that the boy would explode," said Rouou, even if he was thinking that such a chance did exist considering how well most of Saffron's first experiments went. "I meant his power might explode outward. I have no desire to be at Ground Zero for such a possibility if the boy's ki goes to a critical level never seen in my life."

Saffron had to nod at that. "I found some early research notes on the subject," he murmured, as he watched the body of his former enemy soak in the White Water. "I think it'll be more of a pulse when it happens. But my first incarnation did a very thorough job on the spells and wards protecting this valley. It won't be so much of a force as a wave of energy. If nothing else, it'll recharge the protections on the valley."

"Even in death, the boy will protect the world," mused Rouou.

"But what about those inside the field who are themselves magical or ki-sensitive?" asked the aged man.

Saffron blinked at that, before quickly looking over his notes. Not finding the answers he sought, he walked quickly to a shelf, looking through several ancient scrolls that from Rouou's point-of-view, appeared to hold the designs for the protections.

Finally finding what he wanted, he returned to the spot he had left before, and looked at his friend. "I have no idea."

**WHAM!**

Saffron winced as his old friend face-planted on the ground. "That had to hurt."

Rouou could only glare at his friend. "You did that on purpose."

"Perhaps," waved off the Phoenix. "But the simple fact is that my first incarnation made no acts to shield others from such a thing. He was mainly worried about himself and his experiments, which you know are always kept in protected areas and shielded from stray energy. He never once gave thought to what may happen to others in the valley. Even he didn't foresee Jusendo becoming what it is now."

"I see," Rouou muttered. It also probably explained the ingrained habits of his friend: he had never needed to really focus on safeguards considering that he wasn't expecting anyone to be hurt by his work. Sadly, that seemed to be a bit too ingrained in the man, considering how often even his successful experiments resulted in explosive forces being released. "I hope for the best out of things now," he murmured.

"As do I," said Saffron.

* * *

Ranma blinked as he slowly stood up, his mind wondering what had happened. His last thoughts had been filled with pain as he warned the Old Man to help Herb.

"Where am I now?" he asked, seeing not the Phoenix caves he had called home for the last few weeks, but an open field.

"An echo of the past," came the reply from a familiar high-pitched voice.

Blinking, he spun around, falling into a defensive stance, as he looked for the speaker of that feminine voice.

It was just about what he expected to see, given his usual luck. There before him stood a smirking female figure, deep blue eyes, and seeming to be a split between his female form and his mother. The main things that set her apart from them was the third eye in her forehead.

"Who didn't see this coming?" he snorted.

"If you are hearing me," said the redheaded Sanjiyan Unkara, "then you are trying to achieve the powers I once wielded, trying to gain access to a power long lost to your bloodline."

"Great," sighed Ranma, "another damned recording."

"Oh shut it."

Blinking, he looked up, seeing the glaring form that was starting to remind him a bit too much of his mother when she was upset at him for some reason. "You can hear me?" he asked.

"Of course I can hear you, descendant," she replied, her glare not changing.

"O…kay," he muttered. "How? Aren't you like long dead?"

"A copy of my mindset at the time of conception," she said. "I doubted my children would inherit my gifts, but I could never be certain."

"So you weren't humanized?"

She shook her head. "In the history of my race, despots have always found their way to power at one time or another, chaos in their battles for control allow for those that wish and plan effectively to … disappear, to be thought consumed in the fires of their wars."

Ranma could only nod at that. "You faked your death."

"So you can understand," she said teasing.

"Whatever," he said. "So basically you're like Saffron's rebirth potion, a copy of what he was like when he made it."

"Yes, I suppose that is a good comparison," she said as she walked around him. "I left the Seichi and those fools to come to Earth, to live as a human. I wandered about, trying to grow and understand those before me. I found them … at times less savage and at times more so than my fellow Sanjiyan Unkara. But I was fascinated in their short life span; how they thrived in it, enjoyed it.

"Perhaps that was the flaw of my people: they lived too long and became decadent, rather than expanding their horizons."

"I thought it was because they didn't stop that potato-leader before it was too late," Ranma mused.

"Well, there is that," she admitted.

"So what now?" asked Ranma. "I mean, if you're inside my head, what does that mean?"

Taking a deep breath, she began. "My purpose is two-fold. On the off-chance that my descendant attains the power of the Sanjiyan Unkara, I am to test them to see if they are worthy."

"And if not?" he asked, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach, much like he got when Akane was cooking.

"I simply melt your brain into a puddle of fried goop," she replied casually.

"What's with all these stupid tests?" Ranma yelled out, finally having enough. "Why is it every test either ends with me passing or some horribly painful death?" he finished yelling, panting for breath.

"Are you finished?" the woman asked.

He just glared at her, wondering if it would hurt his chances of passing if he just blasted her right now. "If I said no, would it change anything?"

"Not really."

"And how do I pass this new test?" he asked. "And it better not end up with me having to take some other test that if I fail, I die a horribly painful death."

"It is a test of your life, of your soul," she continued. "I will test your truest intent, to look for a weakness that the darkness within you and others will seek to exploit. Depending on what I find, you may end up being killed, or continue on to achieve the power you seek."

"I didn't seek this power," snorted Ranma.

"Incorrect," she countered. "You sought this power for control over your curse, for continued existence."

Ranma just snorted. "So? You make it sound like all I care about is myself."

"You do not," she said, continuing to walk around him. "I see some odd ties between you and those in your life, some strong, some weak, and a few that quite frankly confuse me," she murmured.

Ranma just closed his eyes, trying to keep a headache from growing despite the situation. "You're worse than the Old Man," he said.

"And like him I will not be giving you my name," she said.

"So should I call you Old Woman? OW!"

Energy was still crackling around her hand as she placed he hand back at her side. "Can we not have any comments like that?" she asked with a forced smile.

Ranma just grumbled quietly, but remained silent.

She continued to walk around him, but he wasn't fooled for a second. She wasn't observing him; she was looking deeply into him, looking at his entire life. He didn't know how she was pulling it off, but he knew that she was pulling it off.

"You have a lot of power," she said in awe.

Ranma just snorted at that.

"Do you find the fact you've already accumulated this much power to be funny?"

"Nah," he said. "I find the fact it shocks ya to be funny. I thought you could see all or some such stuff."

She could only stop her walking, before she grabbed his head and forced him to look at her, staring deeper into his eyes. He felt … something move around inside his mind, as he tried to pull away from her, wishing that he still had the Nekoken running free in there to fight her out. But Rouou had insisted on dealing with that before they had left Japan.

Ranma still couldn't recall what the Old Man had done, just that he said the Nekoken had been dealt with and that given time, it would integrate itself into his fighting style. Though how long that would take, he couldn't say.

_It figures that the one time I need the damn thing to keep someone outta my head, it ain't there!_

Sighing, she released his head, her eyes closed. "I see, you've had a rough life to gain that power.

"And I will admit that you both used it well and used it foolishly," she stated.

Ranma just snorted. "I tried my best."

She nodded, as she resumed walking around him, her eyes once more focusing on him. "Faced your darker nature a few times, kept your sanity in an insane world, and fought powers stronger than you to protect those weaker than you," she murmured, nodding with a slight smile on her face. "Not perfect, but you are far from corrupted."

"Thanks!" he said with a smile.

"That was far from a compliment," she said. "Your ego is still a danger to you, despite the work you have done on it with your new teacher. Your body's power level is a concern not just in case you lose control, but what it would mean to your Sanjiyan Unkara self should you pass the test."

"Huh?"

She gave him a lidded stare before she continued. "The path you are walking to open yourself to my legacy is not a tried or tested method. In any case, such would have been thought to be used either for a humanized Sanjiyan Unkara or a regular non-enhanced human. Due to your power level, there may be side effects I am not able to conceive of."

"Great," muttered Ranma. "I just had to open my big mouth. I might still blow up."

Sighing, he began rubbing his forehead. He had written a few letters shortly when the pain of his ki levels began to appear, letters he had never wanted to have sent, but prepared all the same. He left out what he could about the Sanjiyan Unkara, not wanting to risk those Cleaners that Rouou had told him about targeting them. But he had hopefully given them enough that they would be satisfied. Maybe even the Old Man would explain a few things, hopefully keep them from looking too deeply into just why he died.

And with a good bit of luck, they'd be able to help Herb. Since he hopefully didn't have any Sanjiyan Unkara ancestors, his curse could be fixed relatively easily.

"And there we see your finer points," said the woman, as she stopped walking around him, a smile growing on her face.

"You're reading my mind, aren't you?" he asked exasperated.

She nodded. "The greatest test is not our actions, but our thoughts. With your last conscious breath, you asked Rouou to assist a former enemy who suffers like you. Facing an end, your thoughts are not on what awaits you, but what you leave behind, more importantly the people you leave behind."

"Well … yeah," said Ranma, scratching behind his head. "So all you were doing was reading my mind?"

"I did a deep scan when I held your face, wanting a deeper understanding of your past," she said. "But other than that, walking around you, I listened in on to your surface thoughts. I listened to discover not who you were then, but who you are now."

She walked away from him.

"So what now?" he asked. He didn't think this could possibly be the end.

"Now you learn what you've won," she said with a smile.

"Do not worry, I will not possess you," she said, earning a relieved sigh from him. "I am an echo, not a soul. If you need me, I will guide you, assist you as needed. This will not be a free ride; I will explain things when I am ready, when you are ready, and not a moment before. Consider me a guide to the ways of the Sanjiyan Unkara.

"Don't think that gets you out of learning on your own. I still expect you to study under those who help you now."

"Fine," he grumbled. It was never easy for him, was it?

Nodding, she continued to walk away. "I'll see you later, Saotome, when you learn to come here at will. Perhaps one day I'll even tell you about my history and my name. Until then, descendant, live long, live well, and stay good."

Ranma blinked as a fog began to slowly encompass the land around him. "Okay, nothin' creepy about this," he murmured.

His sarcasm became justified as energy seemed to pulse within the fog bank, arcs of electricity sparked around the ground as the fog's opening around him began to shrink.

His shoulders shrank at that. "Why does me getting anything good for me usually involve pain?" he asked the heavens, as if expecting an answer. "It's almost enough to make a guy go emo," he said, before he began to scream.

* * *

"It appears to finally be happening," said Saffron, as Ranma began to convulse, pulses of energy running up and down his body like a Tesla coil.

"You think?" asked Rouou with sarcasm, as he tilted a table over to act as a barrier between him and the explosion he just knew would have to occur.

"Aren't you being a bit over-dramatic, old friend?" asked Saffron.

"Fire in the hole!" Rouou replied, ignoring him and advising the guard at the door.

"Nothing will go wrong!" yelled Saffron, before he felt a push of energy behind him. Turning, he spotted a glowing sphere of energy surrounding Ranma, which seemed to be getting more intense as each second ticked by.

"Oh shi—" He never got to finish his sentence before the energy discharged.

* * *

"Is everyone okay?" asked Rouou, as he slowly pushed an overturned table off of himself.

A few mumbled replies reached his ancient ears, as the old man forced himself to his feet.

"Not one word, Rouou, not one word!" yelled out Saffron, as he struggled to stand, using the nearby wall the energy pulse had tossed him into to assist him.

Rouou would have snorted had not his body hurt so damn much at that moment. Instead he made his way closer to the still form of the young man who had caused the distortion. "Hey brat, you still alive?"

"Urgh."

"Guess so," Rouou mused as he walked over to the prone form. "Say something."

"I hate you so much, Old Man," Ranma said through a weak voice.

"He's fine!" yelled out Rouou, as he got close enough to see the boy's face. The third eye normal with the Sanjiyan Unkara was now upon his forehead, only partially opened just like his other two.

"Old Man?"

"Yes Ranma?"

"You look different," Ranma commented, his three eyes focusing on the face of his Sensei.

"That's probably the new depth perception you have," Rouou commented. "You need to get used to have three eyes."

Ranma shook his head slightly. "I think that's not it," he said, raising his hand slightly, and poking the old man … in his new third eye.

Rouou blinked at the pain, before his eyes opened wide. "DAMN IT SAFFRON!"


	5. First Awakening

**The Onikami Files**

**Chapter 5**

**First Awakening**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

* * *

"Old Man," grumbled Ranma, glaring with all three of his eyes at the diminutive form sitting across from him, "the depth of my hatred for you knows no limits."

"Good to see you put some use to your rather limited education," grumbled Rouou, who in turn was glaring at a smiling Phoenix King who also sported three eyes. "So an explosion just wasn't good enough for you, Old Friend; you had to go for a damned near full rebirth of your race."

"I am rather proud my accident turned out this way," said the smirking Saffron. "And while I am in no hurry to check and confirm whether or not my restored status will follow my rebirth cycle, I do enjoy the good fortune that is smiling upon me."

Ranma just growled. It was so tempting to just kill them now… "I went through that hell, that pain, that torture, to advance and gain control over my powers. And you end up making a mistake that changes everyone on this damned mountain into a Sanjiyan Unkara!" Ranma yelled, slamming his hands on the table, and causing its legs to give out.

Rouou looked over to the boy across the destroyed table. "I'm not happy about this either, Child," he said, pulling out a pipe. "Some of us enjoyed mortality quite well before this happened."

"You didn't have to pass some damned test to get it either, did you Old Man?" snorted Ranma. "And by the way, how come you asses didn't warn me about my ancestor testing me too?"

The others momentarily forgot their anger and happiness to stare at Ranma. "Excuse me," said Saffron. "But you met your ancestor?"

Ranma just narrowed his eyes, nodding slightly. "Yeah, some copy she left behind in her descendants or something," he muttered.

Rouou turned back to his old friend. "Well?"

"There were records made by my first incarnation of copying minds," he mused, standing up and beginning to pace. "Usually it was used for low level foot soldier creation, demons and such that you needed but didn't want to waste the time and effort training them.

"However," he said, pausing in his path, "I think it was also used by several high level mages after they died, as a sort of check for their apprentices. It was used to guide them, provide them spells and knowledge they hadn't either the time or the resources to learn on their own.

"Fascinating," he murmured, looking at Ranma. "Can you describe her?"

"She looked like my girl side and my Mom," he said, feeling slightly confused. "You mean you guys didn't know she was in here?" he asked, tapping the side of his head.

"I thought you knew me better than that, Child," said Rouou. "I told you everything up front. You know damn well that I would have mentioned that to you." He then turned to his friend. "I also told you most of what this feather duster did blew up; glad to see he didn't surprise me. Now, you ever heard of that?" he asked.

Saffron shook his head. "The books never said, but I was under the impression each copy could only last that one generation. The most I ever heard about their dangers or their length was to either the main individual either absorbing the knowledge and skill or the copy being erased by a magical nullification field."

"So … avoid this nullifying stuff until I learn everything," said Ranma.

"I don't think that will be an issue for you, Ranma," said Saffron. "If it stayed within your bloodline this long, then it may be hardwired into your blood. If so, she will be with you even if you learn all she has to teach, she will even be passed along to any children you have."

Ranma's eyes went wide at that. "Great, even voices in my head are telling me what to do now."

"So how bad's the damage?" asked Rouou, turning back to Saffron.

"It appears Saotome was correct when he stated that all those on Phoenix Mountain have been changed," said the Phoenix Sanjiyan Unkara. "I'm not sure how far out it affected it stretched. For all I know, the Jusenkyo Guide, the Amazons, and the Musk are all now Sanjiyan Unkara."

"Oh, that'll go over good," muttered Ranma. With his luck, a certain infamous Lost Boy was caught up in it too. Any moment now, Ryoga would open that door and ask what happened to Tokyo Disney or something like that.

Ranma tried not to think a single thought as he watched the door, waiting for a neo-three-eyed rival to appear. The last thing he wanted was to tempt the Gods further.

"You'll need to send some scouts out," said Rouou. "Contact the other tribes and find out how far that pulse went. If it hit Jusenkyo, I shudder to think what that kind of magic would have done to the cursed springs."

Ranma stayed silent, staring at the door. Any moment now…

"I agree," said Saffron. "I also want to start checking my people, see how stable this transformation is. I would prefer not to have any loss of life because the surge was too weak to make their transformations stable."

"You think they might die if they were too far from the origin?"

"Very possible," said Saffron. "To be honest, something like this has never been conceived of before, or at the very least, not within my records."

Any moment now…

"Quit staring at that door, Boy," ordered Rouou.

Ranma shook his head. He couldn't possibly be that lucky. Ryoga was always there, always popping up at the worst and best of times. But if the Lost Boy wasn't going to show up now…

His eyes went wide. _Oh Gods, he's going to get injured and I'll have to make him my Wu! I'll be stuck with the Lost Boy forever!_

"Any idea why he just suddenly turned pale?" asked Saffron.

Rouou just shrugged. "Kids these days, who knows what horrors go on inside their heads. Just have the guards escort him to his room and sleep it off. We can get back to his education tomorrow. For now, let's get those messengers on their way and start checking your people."

Saffron nodded as he stood up, motioning to Kiima to follow those orders. "We might have to be very gentle with approaching the Amazons though."

"Ah yes, the boy did mention something about giant mind-altering eggs," commented Rouou with a glare. "I thought you had those things destroyed before I left the last time."

Saffron chuckled lightly as he scratched the back of his neck. "Funny story that…"

* * *

After the guards had dragged Ranma out of the room and shut the door, the door opened once more, revealing a fanged individual with a backpack, bamboo umbrella, and a spotted bandana. "Wow," said figure murmured, "they've really changed Tokyo Tower."

Looking around and seeing no exit to the room, he shut the door, turned around, and spotted a lush jungle before him, the handle of the door now replaced with a snake.

"Oh come on!" yelled Ryoga. "There aren't any jungles in Tokyo!"

* * *

It was a calm day at Jusenkyo. The flood had receded, there were just enough clouds not to reflect off the pools and blind some visitor if one had been there, and the Guide had just finished making the new signs to put into the now visible pools.

Well … he planned on doing that after the representatives from Jusenkyo Ltd. To gather some of the water to test with converting it first to Instant Jusenkyo and seeing what it produced. No sense in waiting for some visitor to show up and discover what was in each pond. At least he didn't have to worry about the Phoenix Tribe being upset with him for putting labels on that side of the valley now.

"Jusenkyo Guide!" came a call … from above.

"This one is too old for this…" he mumbled as he stood up from his seat by his hut. "Good evening, kind sir! What can this one do for you?" he asked.

The Phoenix Tribe member drifted to the ground, their white wings interspersed with black feathers, before bowing to the Guide. The only odd thing about the tribe member's appearance was a bandana covering their forehead.

"A magical accident occurred within the halls of Jusendo," said the birdman. "I was sent by our Lord to discover if it has affected you or Jusenkyo from this far away.

The Guide blinked. "This one has not noticed anything strange."

"Have those who make the Instant Curses conducted their survey yet?" asked the Tribe member.

The Guide nodded his head. "They are to be finished with gathering the samples tonight."

"Have them take several samples of the waters filling springs they have already gathered water from," the birdman stated. "We are not certain if the very waters of Jusendo themselves are contaminated.

"And where is your family, Guide?"

The man gulped. "They have gone to Xinging to shop for supplies not available in the valley."

The Phoenix Tribe member nodded. "Then they will have faced no harm from the accident.

"Should you or those who make the powders notice anything new, let us know. We seek to ensure the least amount of harm was done." With that, the man launched himself back into the sky, flapping his wings to gain height before daring to risk flying over the springs.

The Guide merely shook his head, before releasing a breath. "Was much easier on this one when Guide had no visitors. Now this one always gets visitors, telling this one to do this and that.

"The life of a Jusenkyo Guide is fraught with bossy company," he murmured, before heading inside to contact the water gathers with the radio they left behind. "This one knows they'll just yell as well.

"Lucky this one can simply pull out the batteries to their device."

* * *

"An accident, you say."

"Yes, Prince Herb," said the Phoenix warrior before him. "Lord Saffron wishes to ensure only Jusendo was affected by the unexpected magical accident."

"And what does this 'accident' do?" asked Herb. "For that matter, I thought your Lord was but a mere child now, thanks in part to the human Saotome."

"Lord Saffron has fully ascended thanks to a legacy the former Council thought to keep from him."

"And the accident?"

The tribesman looked somewhat nervous. "That information is something I have not been allowed to disseminate."

"I see," said Herb quietly. It was obvious to the prince that something very important had occurred at Jusendo, something to worry the apparently restored Phoenix Lord and have him send messengers to those of Jusenkyo Valley to check to see if they were affected as well.

It was also something the grand bird wanted to keep quiet and that made it something very interesting to the Dragon Prince. "We have not noticed any changes to our lands, but we shall be on the lookout for such.

"However, if I may ask: what allowed your Master to rediscover what his Council sought to keep hidden?"

"A friend from before his last rebirth is all I am allowed to say."

Herb thought for a moment. The Phoenix Lord's last rebirth before Saotome was nearly a decade ago. And the only friend he could recall from that era who had not been dealt with by the Council had been…

"Rouou," Herb growled. "That annoying troll is back!"

But no answers came, as the messenger had already fled.

The throne creaked as Herb gripped it tightly, trying to reign control back over his temper. If Rouou was back, then he had a chance for vengeance against the lowly human who humiliated him so all those years ago. Sure Ranma had defeated him as well, but they faced each other in battle.

The troll all but deigned Herb not important enough to face, deflecting his attacks and merely pushing the young prince away, saying he 'didn't have time to fight suck weak babes'.

But now… "Mint, Lime! To me, now!"

His two retainers quickly entered the throne room bowing before their Lord. "Yes, Prince Herb!" they chimed together.

"Prepare for a trip, I wish to visit our neighbors at Jusendo," he said, trying to appear pleasant. The last thing he wanted was rumors going out seeing him angry and assuming he was off to challenge Saffron himself.

"Um, Prince Herb," said Lime, "were we not to stay put until your father regains his health?"

Herb paused for a bit. It was true his father had been rendered unfit to rule for a time due to some incident. He never learned what the incident was, but the most credible rumor said it had to do with his own mother, a reference to acquiring Shuanshontsūnīchuan water, and an arranged marriage with a strong warrior from the West.

At that point Herb could only shiver, be thankful for at least one parent who loved him, and assume the whole thing had nothing to do with him what so ever, in order to be able to sleep at night. Yes, that was the right decision.

And so was this. "He has had three months to heal from whatever my mother did to him. Send word that I am heading to Jusendo to … offer assistance to the Phoenix Tribe in their time of need."

"Yes, Lord Herb," the duo said as they vanished.

Herb gave a light chuckle. Soon, yes soon he would have his vengeance.

* * *

The Amazon blinked as the Phoenix Warrior simply dropped a letter to her, remaining too high in the air for them to catch. Said individual wondered what it was about, but sighed. She'd just have one of the messengers on her patrol send it back to the Elders. "At least the stupid bird-male is smart enough to stay away after what Elder Cologne reported."

One of the other Amazons blinked. "The Elder did send word that the male Ranma Saotome might be in the area training. Perhaps this is what it is about."

The first warrior blinked. "Has not Shampoo claimed him yet?"

The second shrugged. "Not what I've heard."

"Are you speaking of those rumors that Pink and Link spread? They hate Shampoo enough to spread any lies to make her look weak."

"No, I'm talking about the rumors I heard from Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung," said the second.

"Now that would be credible news," said the first, as she held the letter out to a messenger. "Take this to the Matriarchs at once."

"Now then," the first said as the messenger took off towards the village, "what were these rumors?"

High above, the Phoenix Warrior sighed. The only thing that spent more time on rumors than the former Council—before Lord Saffron reduced them to infants, praise be to him—were Amazon warriors waiting for a reply. "At least it's a nice day," he murmured, as he looked down, quite thankful for the Hawk heritage in his bloodline.

Amazons on patrol never wore tight clothes, thus allowing a refined eye to glimpse downward into heaven. Never let it be said landlings didn't have their good qualities.

And never let it be said that perverts don't come in all shapes and colors.

* * *

Saffron looked about as the most recent Phoenix Tribe member left his lab, a scan complete and revealing that that person, the one both farthest from Saotome's ascension and yet still within the mountain had been affected as well, their body showing no signs of said transformation being unstable. Reports had already returned from Jusenkyo and the Musk. While test on the waters were still ongoing—including his own tests on the waters from the Seichi Spring—it appeared the radius of the blast had not gone beyond the mountain.

"Perhaps there is something within the mountain itself which shielded the outside world," he said, pondering. It would explain why his ancient incarnation had chosen this spot among the world.

Then again for all he knew, the rock had simply absorbed the spell, changing the entire mountain into a realm where all who entered would be slowly or quickly changed into Sanjiyan Unkara. He'd just have to wait until someone uninvited showed up on his doorstep. He already had several groups popping by once a year or so, usually testing out the defenses of his domain to see if the balance of power could be shifted within the valley.

Then again, Saotome was reported to have defeated Cologne of the Amazons and Herb of the Musk. Considering Saffron's own last incarnation and the chilling end he met, Ranma was essentially a fourth power within the valley, more so with his new mental advisor.

Standing up, Saffron made his way towards one of the rare shelves stuffed only with scrolls and tablets, ancient writings from the first Saffron. He recalled at one point reading each of those tablets before using the process to create the blood serum he had used to become awakened.

"Where is it?" he murmured, looking for a specific tablet, one he had … borrowed from the stores of Kaiyanwang himself—may that bastard potato forever rot in the Abyss.

"Ah, here it is," he murmured, blowing some of the gathered dust off of it. "Man, I really need to see if there are some cleaning spells I can use," he muttered, as he gingerly sat the tablet down on the table.

The tablet was basically a footnote from the creation of one of the most powerful magical artifacts of the Sanjiyan Unkara, the Ningen no Zou. It didn't describe the crafting of it, but it did list something about its creation.

There were a group of mages, those who first controlled the tribes of Sanjiyan Unkara in both worlds. It mentioned how they held lore beyond all others, lore that was thought lost—unless the potato was hiding it as well. After all, none of them had undergone the humanization ritual, thus their knowledge would have been lost upon their deaths.

And perhaps only a member of that group was capable of creating the spell that resided in Ranma's blood right now. Hell, for all he knew, that one Sanjiyan Unkara had created a spell to recreate their race.

"The Sect of the Sun," Saffron murmured, hand gliding over the tablet.

"Well, Saotome did say she claimed to have faked her death. And since that damned statue was never duplicated or expanded upon, they may have either died or went and hid among the humans to protect that knowledge.

"That or she killed them all herself and decided to make her own safeguards," he said.

"Either way, Saotome's burden may have become a lot heavier," he said mournfully.

* * *

Ranma held the pen to the paper for the fifth time, his mind still trying to figure out how to best … inform his family and friends of his progress. Somehow, he didn't think telling them that he was now a Sanjiyan Unkara and thus had new depth perception, magical powers, and was near immortal would go over very well. In all likelihood, they'd grab their gear and head to find him, demanding he do likewise for them.

Oh yeah, he could just imagine a Sanjiyan Unkara Old Letch, or perhaps having to pay off Nabiki for eternity.

"Okay, not including that in the letter, aside from their continued safety," he murmured, lifting the pen again.

Well, he could always write about he was studying to control his curse now. Perhaps if he could figure that out, he could use it on Bacon Bits and get him off his case.

"Right," Ranma snorted. "It'd probably upset Akari or something and next thing I know, he's after me for making her cry."

So that idea was out as well. And by now, they were probably waiting on a time frame for his return to Nerima. It wasn't like he could stall them much longer. Hell, some of them were probably narrowing down his location as they spoke.

"I swear if someone stuck a satellite tracker up there again…"

Shaking his head, he released a long sigh. Ranma knew the basics of what he needed to say. He had reached a new level in his training, was undergoing the process of learning control over it, and planned to be home soon, most likely in a month or two, depending on how quickly he picked up the stuff and could find a secure place to practice in Nerima.

"That could work," he said. It wasn't like he could stay here forever, and eventually Saffron would need to focus on training his people for when the Kaiyanwang reappeared, not to mention Ranma did have a pretty reliable tutor in his head. Besides, if he was supposed to help that princess, he needed to find her first.

Well, he needed to be able to help her first. Apparently from what Rouou had told him, Kaiyanwang and his Wu were not pushovers, especially if they had had the power to wipe out nearly all who opposed them.

His free hand tightened as his mind replayed that small child's final message. Oh yes, this was not a battle he couldn't go into half-cocked. He didn't lose and this was one battle he might not get a rematch in. Hell, he might first have to pick someone to be a Wu for him.

Ranma snorted at that. That wasn't a short list at all, that wasn't even a list. Hell, in fighting skills, he didn't have an equal, not since his rivals had started teaming up to take him. And anyone he chose would need to be trained as a Wu.

"Whatever," he sighed. Maybe that voice in his head could help him with that. Maybe he had abilities that didn't even require a Wu. If his powers transferred to his new form, then spells that would put a lesser Sanjiyan Unkara to sleep for weeks probably wouldn't phase him.

If not … well that wasn't good enough then, he'd have to work that reserve hard and build it as high as his ki. He was the best martial artist, he would be the most powerful and skilled Sanjiyan Unkara as well.

"But first," he said, deflating slightly, "I gotta write Mom and them."


End file.
